Muintir na Tire School Garden Competition

Cauliflower Why Grow It?   Home-grown cauliflower is definitely tastier than the mass-produced alternative. Sowing A foolproof way to grow healthy cauliflower seedlings is to sow them in module seed trays – sow one or two seeds in each module 1.5cm deep.  Thin out the weaker seedling.  They will germinate in about a week and will be ready for planting about three weeks later (when 5cm tall).  Make sure to harden off early sowings carefully.  For a steady supply of cauliflower, sow a few plants in March, May and June.  Spacing will determine the size of the curds - between 60-70cm is about right.  The more space you can give them, the healthier the plants will be.   As with cabbages, cauliflowers should be planted in to firm, fertile, free-draining ground – the root and stem will eventually have to support a very heavy head! Water plants well before sowing – create a hole with a dibber, pop the seedling in and then firm in very well...

Seed Tapes are the easiest, no-waste way to plant. Each strip of biodegradable paper is embedded with perfectly spaced seeds; simply unroll into a planting furrow and cover. Planting is precise, there's little or no thinning needed, and the germination rate is outstanding. A great Project in the classroom is to Make your own seed tape You will need: Any kind of Seeds Zip lock Baggies or plastic containers - each one marked for what type of seed tape it is in it Flour Cold Water Paper Towels, cut in 1 1/2 - 2 inch Strips and folded in half To make your seed tape, simply cut the paper into strips about half an inch wide.  The measurement doesn’t need to be exact, just wide enough to easily work with.  The longer the strips, the easier it will be to space your seeds correctly.  You can cut them to length later if needed. Using a ruler and pencil, mark the proper spacing for your seeds of choice on the strips.  Label each strip at one end with the type of seeds to be put...

Click on picture above to download Guide Why is pollination important?  To make a seed, plants have to move pollen from one flower to another flower of the same type. This movement of pollen is called pollination. Without it, there would be no seeds, and without seeds, there would be no plants. This matters to us because plants provide a large part of our diet, as well as other resources we depend upon. It matters not only to humans – wild plants also provide food and shelter to most of our wildlife (birds, mammals, and insects). We also shouldn’t forget that it is those wild plants that make our island a colourful and attractive place to live. WHO are our pollinators?  In Ireland, some plants are pollinated by the wind, but most are pollinated by insects, including bees, hoverflies, butterflies, moths, beetles, wasps and ants. Most insect pollination is carried out by bees. We have one type (species) of managed honeybee and 98 different wild bees. This includes 21...

WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY? Biodiversity  is basically a fancy word for nature. It was formed by merging together the two words ‘biological’ and ‘diversity’. It simply means the enormous variety of life on the planet. From the tiniest bacteria to the largest elephant... if it’s alive it’s part of biodiversity.                  Why is Biodiversity important? Aside from the obvious moral reasons for looking after biodiversity, q uite simply without it we would not be able to survive on Earth.  ​That’s kind of a big deal. H ere are seven reasons why: Food             Cleaning Recycling Wellbeing ​Materials Medicine Air School Projects ​How can you boost the biodiversity at your school? We have put together a collection of fun and simple actions you can take to help a wide variety of wildlife.  Wildflowers Birds Bees  Bugs Growing wildflowers  is probably one of...

  This week we focus  on  Derrinagree who were Highly Commended  for their School Garden.   This is and continues to be a wonderful garden. The garden covers many of the elements including Art Colour, Food Production, Biodiversity, use of the Irish language and is a fun learning place for all the children. We were very impressed by the Bee project. A polytunnel would be a great addition. PS Tell the 'Rambling Paddies' that we enjoyed the entertainment.  Keep up the great work.   Congratulations to all involved at Derinagree National School   For more Information on the School Gardens Competition  Click Here                                        

  This week we also focus  on Curraglass National School who received a Gold medal  for their School Garden.  This  is and continues to be a wonderful garden. The garden covers all the elements including Food Production, Biodiversity, use of the Irish language, Upcycling Colour and art and is a fun learning place for all the children. We were very impressed by the colour and Art and the new raised beds. Consider a new plan for the garden once new building is complete, a polytunnel would be a great addition.  Keep up the great work.   Congratulations to all involved at Curraglass National School.   For more Infor mation on the School Gardens Competition  Click Here

  This week we focus  on Cloughula National School who were Highly Commended for their School Garden.  This is a very good garden. The garden covers many of the elements including Food Production, Biodiversity and is a fun learning place for all the children. The students were very knowledgable. Great use of polytunnel, potatoes and Recycled pots. Good to see wildflower strips and a bug hotel. Consider more fruit trees /Bushes, maybe a composting area and more art from upcycled materials.  Keep up the great work.   Congratulations to all involved at Cloughla National School   For more Information on the School Gardens Competition  Click Here

 This week we also focus on Coachford National School who were Highly Commended for their School Garden. This is and continues to be a wonderful garden. The garden covers all the elements including Food Production, Biodiversity, use of the Irish language, Upcycling Colour and art and is a fun learning place for all the children. Good input from parents and the links to the local heritage and the new boat Sculpture was very impressive. Consider a second water butt closer to raised beds.  Keep up the great work.  Congratulations to all involved at Coachford National School  For more Information on the School Gardens Competition Click Here